The invention relates to methods and apparatus for providing access to a body cavity of a patient during surgery.
In some forms of surgery, such as laparoscopy, a surgeon operates on a patient through one or more incisions that provide access to a patient's body cavity. The surgeon inserts through the incisions one or a combination of surgical implements, including visual aid devices such as a laparoscope or endoscope, the surgeon's hand or hands, and surgical instruments for, e.g., grasping, cutting, or grinding tissue. The body cavity is inflated with an insufflation gas to facilitate access to one or more organs or surgical sites.